Audi to deliver self-driving cars with Artificial Intelligence by 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key technology for the development of self-driving cars. Audi realised this early on and has joined hands with reputed brands in the electronics industry to develop the first Audi Q7 deep learning concept, a piloted driving car in collaboration with NVIDIA. The German automaker has also launched a dedicated subsidiary called Autonomous Intelligent Driving, as it pushes to deploy the next-generation technology beyond the confines of its own brand.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2017 held in Las Vegas earlier this year, Audi announced it would bring SAE Level 3 driving (conditional automation) to market this year and fully automated driving to the roads in 2020.

AI-enabled cars might seem like a fictitious concept, but preliminary versions of the technology currently exist in the market. Autonomous vehicles are already a common sight on the streets of Silicon Valley, an international hub for self-driving technology. Heading past one of California’s self-driving highways, you’re likely to spot a prototype of Google’s driverless vehicle clocking up kilometres and collecting valuable data in the process.

Audi’s self-driving cars detect road conditions and signals

The new feature marks the first time a manufacturer has successfully launched a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication channel. V2I refers to any time a structure in a city, like a traffic light, relays data to a car. At this point, the technology only exists in a few cities with limited features.

Data gathered by V2I can help self-driving cars operate more safely by providing crucial information about their environment, such as the general traffic flow and areas of congestion. Presently, Audi’s A4, Q7, and A4 All Road models built after June 2016 displays traffic light timers behind the wheel of the car when driven in the Las Vegas area.

This is all in addition to a number of ground-breaking AI safety features that are found in Audi vehicles, including the Audi Adaptive Cruise Control that can slow down or speed up your vehicle depending on the traffic conditions.

NVIDIA self-driving technology
Audi’s AI technology efforts are supported by NVIDIA. NVIDIA is a name most PC gamers would be familiar with. They might be most famous as a manufacturer of computer graphics cards, but the company has been increasingly turning its attention to the automotive market over the past few years.

Audi and NVIDIA have worked together before, but the new partnership, announced by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang at CES 2017, will see the companies working to produce a ‘Level 4’ automatic vehicle – a car capable of driving entirely on its own. As an early demonstration of the concept, the two companies have already collaborated on an experimental self-driving Q7 SUV. NVIDIA says the car. which was on display at CES, learned to drive itself in just four days using its AI technology.

Cars with NVIDIA’s AI platform will constantly learn from the driver and the road with every kilometre driven. Each new situation and the driver’s reaction to it will add to the vehicle’s database. The car will teach itself how to react to changing weather conditions and unexpected hazards, such as construction areas or underdeveloped roads.

What do self-driving cars mean for drivers?
Road accidents have cost Australia over a thousand lives in 2016 alone. While self-driving cars aren’t here to provide a magical solution to prevent road accidents, the technology and its corresponding intelligent safety features are worth being aware of.

The challenge now for Audi – and every manufacturer developing autonomous technology – is to convince lawmakers and the people that self-driving cars are 100% reliable and safe. Regardless, it’s clear that Audi is a carmaker to take note of when studying the progress of automated technology.

For the latest news in automotive safety and technologies, stay tuned to Ammstar Autohaus.

What you can expect from us

Need answers before you are ready to choose Ammstar? Here is some more information about what we do and we operate.

About

Find out how we work, our values, and what to expect when you service with us.

Transport

Ready to book in but not sure what to do without your car for the day? View our transport options and suggestions.

Pricing

Like to know how much your service will cost before booking in? Request pricing or view our special offers.

Find out how we work, our values, and what to expect when you service with us.

Ready to book in but not sure what to do without your car for the day? View our transport options and suggestions.

Like to know how much your service will cost before booking in? Request pricing or view our special offers.

How

Values

Expect

Who knows your car best?

While you might think your selling dealer knows your car best, specialist workshops like ours get to experience all kinds of complex issues. As vehicles come out of warranty, people (just like you!) begin to search for an alternative to dealership servicing. Our systematic approach to diagnosis gives us an edge, allows us to learn quickly, and continually build upon our existing knowledge. The most difficult problems make us the best at what we do.

Problems?

We have solutions. Our qualified specialists find problems in the most efficient way possible. Our methods and diagnostic equipment help take the complexity out of difficult problems. We won’t just keep billing you diagnostic hours without you knowing, and in many cases we will cap our diagnostic billing hours to an agreed value.

Structure

Our service processes are streamlined and digital. All of our technicians service cars in the same way! We have achieved this by working only on a select few brands, refining the process and communicating it across all of our workshops through training and regular meetings.

Right tools for the job

Some repairs take specialist tooling and can’t be performed by any old school mechanic. We have the resources and tools to perform the task to specification.

Guaranteed

We believe in doing things right the first time, and by using only genuine or OEM parts we can ensure the quality of our workmanship. All of our repairs are covered by a 2 year / 50,000km warranty, covering you from manufacturing defects.

Strength

With three workshops across Melbourne, we have big buying power. We also have our own network of information sharing, and our knowledge base is continually growing. By working together, we can bring you high quality service at great pricing.

Expect dealer standards... and more

We pride ourselves on the quality of our workmanship, and take care in everything we do. Having been independent automotive experts for a long time we have developed our own structure and processes. We make sure we service the car to the specified manufacturers level, and beyond! We also take into consideration the age of particular vehicles, and look at other items we know are important.

What do people like you think?

Our customer’s love the service they receive when they find us. Most of our clients buy a new car and service at the dealer for a few years, before realising they are not only paying way too much, but aren’t getting the service they deserve! One visit to Ammstar, and you will be wondering why you ever returned to the factory dealers in the first place! Here is what some of our latest customers are saying…

Going green

While we keep our shop and your car clean, we understand how our actions affect the world around us. Our sustainability policy helps make us environmentally and socially responsible. We limit our printing, and do more things electronically. We recycle as much cardboard, metal and waste oil as we can, and dispose of hazardous materials correctly.

How much will it cost?

Have you ever received an invoice and expected it to be less? Know what you are paying for with our itemised quoting system. You will never arrive to collect your car and find we have performed additional jobs without your approval, or a particular part ended up costing more than we said. Our aim is to give you complete transparency.

We’ve got some skills, do you?

We never stop learning. We keep up to date with industry information, and regularly conduct our own in house training for technical staff. Are you a skilled mechanic with a passion for one of our favorite brands? If you are looking for a career with meaning and have an eye for detail we really should be talking. Please send us your CV.

Know what you are paying for

You won't get any hand written ambiguous invoice from us. All of our service and repair invoices are itemised, showing a complete breakdown of parts, labour, oils, GST and other charges. We can even email you the invoice to you before you have picked the car up!

You choose the extras

When we service your car, we follow a standard process. We will report back to you with what we find, and if we think there is something that needs attention we will provide you with an itemised quote! We won’t ever forget it is your car, and will only report to you the facts.

No upsells!

You won’t get any pressure selling tactics from us. We check out your car, and report back to you with our findings. If we find worn out, leaking or broken items, we will provide you with a full quote! We won’t be offering any unnecessary additional service items like oil and fuel additives.

Get the best price

We have lower overheads than factory dealers, source original parts from all over the globe and our loan car fleet isn’t being factored in to the price of the service. While we use the best parts and do the job correctly, we know you want great value. We also know what you expect from us, a nice clean shop, highly skilled technicians and excellent customer service.

Our oil makes the grade

Whether it be a Mercedes-Benz A200 or Audi RS5, cars of today have strict oil requirements. We only use high quality factory and OEM lubricants suitable for your car, such as the fully synthetic range from Mobil, including Mobil 1 0w40, X2 5w40, and the low ash Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 for modern diesel engines.

Book a courtesy car

Prefer to just keep moving or need to get to work? We can provide you a loan vehicle on the day of your service if required.* Bookings for loan cars are essential and subject to availability.
*A current driver licence is required, please ensure you have it with you on the day of service. Contact us for full terms and conditions.

Get to work

Work in the city? Have you considered catching the train? We can drop you off at Cheltenham station and pick you up in the afternoon. Be sure to check out the current Departure times and plan your trip using the PTV journey planner. Don’t forget your Myki!

Go home

Do you live locally? If you live in our immediate area (5km radius) we can offer you a ride home, and pick you up when your car is ready.
Available within our determined boundaries. Please feel free to contact us to discuss.

Go shopping

There is no shortage of shops with the DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) just a short walk away, or let us drop you off at Southland Shopping Centre. Be warned, you might spend more at the shops than you do on your car service!

See a movie

If shopping isn’t really your thing, why not see a movie? Check out the session times at Village cinemas southland. When your car is ready, we will discreetly text you, and arrange to pick you up.

Just stay home

Stuck at home with kids and all a bit too hard to drop off? We can help. If you live in our local radius we can arrange your car to be picked up, and dropped back to you in the afternoon!

Get active

If we are just performing a quick check or minor part fitment, why not grab a coffee to go and go for a walk through Kingston Heath Reserve? It is located just across the road and has a variety of walking paths, playgrounds and facilities.

Service specials starting from $297

With a comprehensive service starting from just $297, free loan cars and other transport options available, there has never been a better time to service your Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi or Volkswagen.

Our skilled technicians are experts and the ONLY cars we service are BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen. We will take the utmost of care servicing your vehicle, and provide you with a full report upon completion. We will even wash and vacuum your car as part of the service!

We will do only the work you authorise us to do, and would NEVER do anything without your approval, guaranteed!

To find out how much the service is on your car, call us today or simply fill in the quote request form, and we will get back to you fast!

Request a quote

Please let us know what service or repair you would like us to assist you with, and we will get in contact with you as soon as possible! Adding a valid VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) will help us provide an accurate quote.

Name*

Email*

Phone*

Valid registration number or VIN*

Tell us more about your service

Your personal information is safe with Ammstar Autohaus. It will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy, and will NEVER be shared with anyone outside of our organisation.

Book Online

Please provide us with a valid vehicle registration number and model description, to ensure we can provide an accurate service cost. We will send you an email confirming the service cost, booking date and availability of loan car, generally by the end of the same business day!